To unclog central Mumbai, BMC proposes flyover from Hindmata to Tulsi Pipe Road

A BMC official said, “Traffic jams will paralyse central Mumbai if there is no alternative to Tilak Bridge or Elphinstone Bridge when they undergo reconstruction. Foreseeing this scenario, the traffic department forwarded the proposal to the bridges department.”

To beat traffic congestion in central Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed a flyover to connect the busy BR  Ambedkar Road in Dadar West with Senapati Bapat Marg.

File photo of traffic jam due to water logging at Hindmata, Parel and Dadar TT in Mumbai. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT File)

The BMC’s traffic and planning department has proposed a bridge that will run parallel to the Elphinstone Bridge and Tilak Bridge. The first connects Parel Junction with Senapati Bapat Marg and the second links Dadar East to Dadar West. The eastern end of the bridge would be at the Tata Mills compound at Hindamata Junction and the western end would be near the flower market on Senapati Bapat Marg.

At present, there are three bridges in central Mumbai that enable east-west connectivity. All three – Mahadev Palav Marg (on Currey Road), Elphinstone Bridge and Tilak Bridge – are over 100 years old and scheduled for reconstruction over the next two years.

A civic official from the traffic and planning department said, “Traffic jams will paralyse central Mumbai if there is no alternative to Tilak Bridge or Elphinstone Bridge when they undergo reconstruction. They are already over-burdened. Foreseeing this scenario, the traffic department forwarded the proposal to the bridges department.”

The proposed bridge will go over the Central and Western Railway tracks. Its length would be approximately 700-800 metres long and 60 feet wide.

“The bridge is proposed as part of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan, charted out to decongest the city. The consultant proposed the bridge after studying traffic in the area, which has potential for growth, considering all the mill land,” said a BMC official.

The bridges department will now conduct a feasibility study. When the proposal to construct the bridge is implemented, a separate feasibility study will be conducted, which may suggest changes to the alignment of the bridge. “The consultant drew out the bridge for us, but the exact locations where it will land, how much land will be acquired, and if there will be a change in its alignment will be decided by the separate report,” the official from the traffic and planning department.